Here are 5 unique problems drones are solving right now

Singtel Innov8 has launched the Innov8 Connect program which aims to bring startups and Singtel together to create innovative solutions for business challenges faced by the Singtel Group. This is the second article of a two-part series (you can find the first one here). This week, we look at the problems that drones are tackling across the globe.

Photo credit: Alfred Grupstra

Drones solve problems. Many people may not agree, but drones do make life easier for humans. It’s not unusual to see a drone flying around these days and governments are trying to implement laws that protect drone enthusiasts and the public.

But apart from casual use, drones are increasingly being used to tackle real problems. Not convinced? Here are five things that drones are solving right now:

1. Making beaches safe from sharks

Your friendly neighbourhood shark. Photo credit: Elias Levy

It’s a bit of a stretch calling sharks on the beach a problem since humans have been encroaching on every animal habitat imaginable (so it’s technically our fault). But for this case, let’s call it a problem. Australia is currently using drones to track sharks in order to help protect swimmers from getting bitten.

Live images are fed back to an operator, who can keep track of sharks, swimmers, and surfers in real time, letting everybody enjoy the beach together. Next time you’re in Australia enjoying their pristine, golden beaches, remember that drones made it possible.

2. Making the earth greener

Photo credit: USFS Region 5

In Indonesia and Malaysia, palm oil plantations have been using drones to monitor their crops. A job that used to require manpower and helicopters can simply be done by a few drones.

Say goodbye to satellites and a slow process. Besides checking up on the health of trees, drones can also look at real time data on hot spots. This improved data transmission helps companies save time and react quicker to problems.

Here’s another use case. BioCarbon Engineering, based out of the UK, wants to plant one billion trees a year using drones. The drones will be used to map and analyze the scorched earth, and measure nutrients and biodiversity. Finally, based on algorithms, seeds will be dropped in the best places to encourage reforestation. Think of it as a smart spade with wings.

3. Surveying dangerous or toxic environments

Insurance companies have started using drones to assess areas hit by natural disasters, significantly speeding up processing time for people affected. Such areas are usually closed to human surveyors for days, and drones take over a potentially dangerous job. Similarly, Avetics, a Singapore-based drone company, is helping Royal Dutch Shell to inspect flare tips, which are towers used to burn away gases, in the oil industry.

4. Reducing slave labor

In a move to help eradicate slave labor, Brazil has started using drones to scout remote locations (beginning with the state of Rio de Janeiro) to see if businesses are operating within the laws of the land. Despite having outlawed slavery in 1888, human trafficking and slavery are still a major problem in the country, with an estimated 25,000 – 40,000 people forced to toil away in inhuman and degrading conditions.

5. Crowd control

Photo credit: Ivan Bandura

One of the more creative (and downright scary) uses of drones is crowd control. The police force in the Indian city of Lucknow, for example, has bought four drones and uses them to pepper-spray unruly mobs and protesters. Sure, it’s a novel concept that goes beyond the usual crowd monitoring and surveillance seen in several cities. But drones becoming dangerous weapons seems more sci-fi than we are used to. Effective? Probably. Morally justifiable? Debatable. 

Singtel Innov8 Connect is a new program that brings startups and Singtel together to create innovative solutions for business challenges faced by the Singtel Group. Through this program, selected start-ups will receive up to S$75,000 (US$52,100) to test and validate their solutions with Singtel. Successful solutions may lead to commercialization with the Singtel Group, providing startups access to the Group’s customer base, which includes both enterprises and consumers and over 575 million mobile customers across Asia, Australia and Africa.

The first set of business challenges are focused in 10 areas including enterprise cloud, smart and safe city and customer experience. The program is now open for submissions and closes on 14 February 2016.

Interested startups around the world are invited to apply at https://innov8connect.com.